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Train Granada to Ronda

I am aware that there have some train disruptions on this route.

All websites show only two morning trains: 6:45AM and 12:45PM.

DB Bahn website shows IR 13941 leaving Granada 8:43AM, connecting with ATR 9366 leaving Antequera -Santa Ana at 11:48AM. Both trains show as being subject to compulsory reservations.

This (DB) connection does not show on renfe, loco 2, patrabax, or capitaintrain websites.

I plan to travel this route 14 September.

Why can't I find this connection online? Perhaps these are regional trains, and online purchase is not available. If yes, how do I make compulsory reservations? And how do I ensure this connection will not be sold out if? Would I purchase these tickets on arrival in Madrid September 7?

Or, perhaps this connection is either currently not available or no longer available. If Yes, might it be available before I travel?

If the connection is not available, I will purchase online the 12:45PM connection, though I would like to travel earlier in the day to have maximum time in Ronda because I leave the next day.

Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Posted by
5188 posts

John,

I also don't understand why the 8:43 train is listed on the Bahn website & not on the Renfe website.

Since you will be traveling in Spain, the best website to check is Spain's official Railway website which is Renfe.

According to this Renfe schedule, there are only three trains traveling the Granada>>Ronda route, (6:45 & 12:45 & 17:00):

You can definitely purchase your train tickets in advance (online), if you choose to, or just wait till you arrive to Madrid.
There is not an advantage in buying your tickets in advance (online), because the price is the same for this type of train (Media Distancia not AVE) whether you buy them now or later. (€20.10pp, Turista class)

It's very unlikely that this train will be sold out.

FYI, due to the renovations taking place on the railroads on this route, you may be transported via bus from Granada to Antequera, then you will travel via train to Ronda.

**Don't forget to book your Alhambra tickets ASAP!

Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
15560 posts

It looks like a quirk in the way Renfe figures journeys - maybe it's because of the connection time - an hour.

You can find the bahn.de route by looking at separate train journeys on Renfe. Choose Granada-Antequera/Santa Ana and then - separately - Antequera/Santa Ana-Ronda, you can see both trains. I guess you just have to buy the tickets separately.

Posted by
11294 posts

I can't speak to this route, particularly since you said there's construction. But when I wanted to go from Toledo to Barcelona (changing trains in Madrid) and looked at this as one ticket on Renfe's site, only two options showed for the whole day! These involved changing trains, so it wasn't that the website only showed direct trains. When I looked on Bahn, I saw all of the many options, and just booked my tickets separately on Renfe.

So, if you can somehow confirm that the train you want really exists, don't hesitate to book separate tickets, as long as there's enough time between them.

Posted by
5188 posts

John,
So I did a bit of research & my conclusions are in agreement to what Chani & Harold mentioned on their posts.

If you look on the Renfe site & choose the Granada >> Ronda route, it does not show the 8:43am departure because of the one hour connection time in Antequera.

So... You can buy your tickets separately; Granada (departing @8:43 am) >> Antequera Santa Ana, and Antequera Santa Ana ( departing @ 11:18am) to Ronda.

You will be able to buy them on the Renfe website (with PayPal) at around 62 days in advance.

When I checked the Renfe site, I can find both of these tickets for the date of September 2nd, so if you wait a couple of weeks, you should be able to see both of these tickets available for your date of travel, September 14th ;-)

The MD train (departing from Granada @ 8:43am) is the train which originates in Almería & travels to Sevilla.
You can check the MD train routes here: http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/mediadistancia/mapas_y_trayectos/mapa_andalucia.html

Posted by
26 posts

Thank you to all who replied. Much appreciated.

Posted by
86 posts

John,
we are planning the same trip on sept 19. i just spoke to a renfe agent who told e there are no longer trains between granada and ronda because of the construction. he also told me that the only way to go was by bus. This info seems incongruent with what others have told you; i plan to call renfe again and see if i get the same message.

Posted by
5188 posts

John,

Regarding Rich's comment to you:

we are planning the same trip on sept 19. i just spoke to a renfe agent who told e there are no longer trains between granada and ronda because of the construction. he also told me that the only way to go was by bus. This info seems incongruent with what others have told you; i plan to call renfe again and see if i get the same message.

Don't despair!

There are trains traveling the Granada >> Ronda route ( Bus/Train combination) as previously discussed, up until September 18th... The rest of the train schedules (after September 19th) have not been published on the Renfe website yet.

You may be interested in reading my answer to Rich on his thread:https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/no-train-from-granada-to-ronda

John, did you decide to buy the separate tickets (as previously discussed), so you can arrive to Ronda earlier?

Posted by
26 posts

Train Granada to Ronda can certainly be confusing.

The direct train schedule (3xday) did not work for me. I decided to travel this route using the connection through Antequeras SA and bought separate tickets - - - Granada -> Antequeras SA and Antequeras SA -> Ronda.

I will travel this route 14 September.

I know that the Granada -> Antequeras SA portion has been served by bus provided by Renfe during construction. According to my hotel in Granada, the bus arrives in time for the connection to Ronda. Logically, it makes sense that it would because it is being provided by Renfe as a substitute for this connection.

What I don't know is whether construction progress will be such that the train Granada -> Antequeras SA will be available by 14 September, when I travel this route.

Because I now believe that the bus will arrive in time for the connection to Ronda, I don't worry about this.

Hopes this helps.

Posted by
5188 posts

John,
According to the Renfe site. It looks like you will be traveling by bus from Granada to Antequera Santa Ana.
Since you'll have to wait an hour at the Antequera station (before your train arrives), you can always get a snack or a cup of coffee & relax.

It will still be hot in September, so pack accordingly.

Buen viaje!

Posted by
2 posts

After reading all this, I have a couple of questions;
Is the bus in front of the train station?
We are planning to take 17:00 train, do we take the bus at 17:00 then instead?
Can we book tickets at the train station in Granada?
Thank you!!

Posted by
5188 posts

a_stouffs,

Yes, you can book you train tickets at the Granada train station, but I'd suggest you buy them a day or two prior to the day you plan to travel.

Your ticket will be a bus + train combination, meaning that you will travel via bus from Granada's train station to Antequera's train station, where you will transfer to a train which will take you to Ronda.

I presume the bus will be in front or adjacent to the train station, but you can ask for this information when you buy your tickets.

Hopefully, John, will post an update with more details about the bus+ train combination.

Posted by
26 posts

Just returned from Spain and Italy.

For those traveling Granada to Ronda, the bus-train connection is quite efficient.

Buy train ticket Granada to Antequeras SA and Antequeras SA to Ronda.

Bus Granada to Antequeras SA leaves from directly in front of the Granada train station. Staff direct you to the bus. No way you can go wrong.

Bus arrives at the Antequeras ST train station in plenty of time to make the train connection to Ronda.

No worries.

Posted by
5188 posts

John,

Thanks for the update!

Did you end up taking the 8:43am train?

Hope you had a wonderful trip!

Posted by
72 posts

We also just returned from Spain and took the train from Sevilla to Granada. The Granada train station and the folks there are very friendly and you cannot miss the bus right in front that will take you to Antequera SA. The bus was very comfortable and we didn't lose any time getting to Granada from Sevilla.

The only thing is that with the repairs going on - the train station has closed down some of their supporting services - like the cafe.

Let us know how the trip goes.